A Protege's Progress
The "special relationship" that exists between the United States and South Korea (Republic of Korea—ROK) developed from the defeat of Japan in World War II, and particularly as a result of U.S. support in blood and treasure following the outbreak of the Korean war in June 1950. Since that time U.S. forces have remained in South Korea to bolster its defenses. In return, South Korea provides a base that enables the United States to maintain a forward defense position in the Far East. More recently, ROK troops stood alongside the U.S. forces in serving as South Vietnam's principal allies. South Korea, moreover, is becoming an increasingly significant trading partner and an attractive location for U.S. investment. (U/OU)
To Koreans, at least, this relationship is both more natural and has deeper roots than is generally realized by Americans. Throughout most of its more than a thousand year history as a unified country, Korea was under Chinese protection, but when China declined and fell prey to European imperialism in the 19th century, Korea was left exposed to rival Japanese and Russian ambitions to gain control of the strategic Korean Peninsula. Like Japan, Korea had gone into seclusion in the early 17th century and, as the "Hermit Kingdom" isolated itself from all foreign contacts except those with China. This isolation was ended abruptly in 1876 when Japan, aping Commodore Perry, sent a military expedition to the port of Chemulp'o (now Inch'on)[1] and "opened the door" to Korea. Unable to protect Korea, China advised it to negotiate treaties with the Western powers in order to establish a body of foreign interests sufficiently extensive to thwart any dangerous expansion of Japanese influence. Beginning in 1882, therefore, Korea concluded a treaty of friendship and commerce with the United States and by 1886 had negotiated similar agreements with all major European powers. The United States secured the lead over the other Western powers because many Koreans, aware of American commercial interest in their country and often acquainted with American missionaries and educators, had come to feel that the United States did not have the territorial ambitions of Japan and the other great powers and thus might make an ideal successor to China as Korea's patron and defender. (U/OU)
- ↑ For diacritics on place names see the list of names on the apron of the Summary Map and the map itself.
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